Material of the type mentioned by way of introduction needs to be moved in many different contexts, both in industrial operations and in, for example, municipal refuse disposal and management (refuse handling, screenings from the wastewater treatment plants and so on). Consequently, such material is handled in large quantities daily and it is a reality that this handling cannot be effected without meeting a number of problems. These are because the material is, as a rule, difficult to handle, for example in that it is bulky and needs to be compacted in order to attain an acceptable level of transport economy. When the material is wet, it needs to be compacted in order to reduce the moisture-content so as thereby to make for greater ease of handling. For compacting material of the above-indicated type, the prior Art calls for the employment of separate compactors or screw presses.
One disadvantage inherent in hitherto employed combinations of conveyors and compactors is that the combinations require a great deal of space and are costly. In certain applications, hydraulic compactors are used, and in other applications, screw presses. The hydraulic compactors take up a great deal of space and operate intermittently, which occasions problems in, for example, the formation of material "bridges" at the infeed section, while the conventional screw presses find difficulty in swallowing the bridge and plug forming materials here under discussion. This is because the screw presses have a center shaft or axle about which ensnaring material such as textiles, plastic sheeting, strips etc. become wound and cause plug formation in the material flow.